“A PAWS pet therapy team visits my 3rd grade classroom boys. They look forward to their PAWS visits!  These boys have become calmer and more confident readers.  Their attention span and focus is so much better! Two of the three boys increased from performance level 2 to 3  and the other went from 1 to 2.  We could not be more pleased!“

– Teacher

“A seven year old girl participated in PAWS for Reading and really bonded with the  therapy companions. Now age 13, she has become a dog-walker in her neighborhood. She felt confident enough to parlay her love of dogs into a business, and is learning new skills because of  her reading to PAWS dogs.”

– Librarian

“I like reading to Honey because she always pays such good attention – better than anyone else I would read to, and she is so nice!”

– Participant

“One of our students who recently arrived from Korea has been so excited about our weekly PAWS visits.  She has become more relaxed, increasingly verbal and is smiling more often.  The PAWS program has been a catalyst for her positive changes!”

– Teacher

“One 3rd grade girl is Hispanic and English is her second language.  She’s often hesitant to read aloud in front of the group, but loved to read to Lillie from PAWS.  As the year went on, she grew more confident of her reading.”

– Teacher

“Juliana wrote in Bonkers’ PAW-tograph book:  ‘When I read to Bonkers I feel like I am being loved – when I read I am inspired. It is very nice to read to Bonkers because he really listens to me.'”

– PAWS Member

“One student had attendance issues, yet I noticed she was never absent on the days the PAWS dogs came!  One student had anger issues, yet seemed to be calm around the dogs and tended to have less  behavior issues on the days PAWS came to visit and read.”

– Teacher

“A women in her 30’s with neurological issues came  to the library and asked to read to the PAWS dogs – she worked on her goal of developing her social skills through this interaction.  Now in her 40’s, she just asked for permission to return to PAWS for Reading – now focusing  on strengthening her reading skills!”

– Librarian

“At the suggestion of a PAWS pet therapy team, a mom brought her 8-year-old daughter to our PAWS for Reading program.  The girl, with a deep rooted fear of dogs, sat clear across the room during the first few sessions.  She gradually moved loser to Duffy, the therapy pet, and after several months, she was cuddling Duffy and had mastered her fear of all dogs.  In addition to building literacy skills, PAWS helped this young girl overcome fear and anxiety – she developed courage which will help her in life.”

– Librarian

“I like Honey & Molly because they are respectful when I am reading and that makes me feel happy!”

– Participant

“The students here at Maclary are still buzzing about how much they enjoyed spending time reading to the dogs!  Not only did they have a great time and get lots of sloppy kisses, but they displayed confidence in their reading and tried their best!  The volunteers were so kind and encouraging that students felt safe and persevered when they might otherwise have become frustrated.”

– Laurie Campbell, Reading Specialist

“In our inclusion classroom, we have eight children (of 25) with special needs – all of the needs are reading related.  The students feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when they read to their PAWS dog, Roscoe, because they know that he isn’t judging or critiquing their reading.”

– Teacher

“As I was setting up for our PAWS for Reading session, a family of faithful readers came in with more family members than usual. The aunt, who hadn’t been in for more than a year, and her new husband came along. The aunt asked, ‘Would it be all right if my husband reads to the dogs tonight? He has a TBI (traumatic brain injury) from his service as a Marine in Afghanistan. His self-esteem is low because his speech is halting and he often struggles for words, and reads slowly. I thought this might help him.’ She also mentioned that he is often called ‘stupid.’ ‘Of course’ I said. ‘This is exactly PAWS’ mission.’